D&D, house rules, and other game systems

[Quasqueton]

Is D&D the only game that people want to house rule so much? If so, why?

In my 26 years experience with RPGs, it seems that only D&D gets so ubiquitously house ruled. Some groups may tweak a specific rule or ten in some other game systems, if the rule as written doesn’t work for the game (something that errata would fix, too). And these tweaks are usually just unwritten "gentlemen's agreements". But I’ve seen notebooks of major alterations for D&D, through all the editions.

When you join a Star Wars (d6 or d20) game, or a Shadowrun game, or a Vampire game, or a Mutants & Masterminds game, or an Iron Heroes game, you can go in expecting to play pretty much by RAW. But when you join a D&D (Basic, Advanced, etc.) game, it seems you should expect a bunch of house rules. And some of those house rules will be major alterations, not just tweaks.

I’ve never seen a Star Wars game with the Force system completely rewritten. I’ve never seen a Shadowrun game with the rigging system completely rewritten. Etc. But I’ve seen D&D games where the magic system was completely rewritten (or taken from some other supplement), or the hit point system completely rewritten (or taken from some other supplement), etc.

What is it about D&D that so many people think of it as a “generic” platform to tweak and alter so extensively? What is it about other games that people accept them in RAW form?

Or is my experience aberrant? Do people house rule as much in other games as they do in D&D?

Quasqueton

 

[DwelleroftheDeep]

I houserule a lot in d20 modern, mainly replacing the magic system though, so I'm not sure if that's a fair representation.

 

[DanMcS]

Is D&D the only game that people want to house rule so much? If so, why?

I don't think so. I think D&D is the vast majority of games, so you're much more likely to see somebody houseruling it than something else. The proportion is probably about the same, though.

Read rpg.net. Look at the threads about houserules for Castles and Crusades and Shadowrun (to take two from the page right now); threads on "changing the WoD damage system" and "simplifying exalted" and that kind of thing are very popular, too.

I know I have the urge to change something about every system I play with. There's always something I think I could make better.

 

[kilamanjaro]

When we still played Rolemaster we house ruled the heck out of it. Really, the Rolemaster companions, of which I think there were 8, were nothing but collections of house rules. Sort of like Unearthed Arcana in 3.5 D&D. For some rules the companions would have 10 or more variants of that rule to choose from. It made it easy for the GM to make the game "his".

 

[Henry]

Like any other 800 lb. gorilla, it gets the most attention. Other games don't get houseruled as much simply because they aren't played by as many groups!

 

[Technomancer]

GURPS
Gurps
HERO
HERO (pdf)
D6 Star Wars
Tunnels and Trolls
Runequest
Vampire

Other systems get houseruled just as much, I think. It probably only seems like D&D gets houseruled more because it is the big daddy of rpgs. More people play it so more people are talking about it.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I house ruled Cyberpunk2020 a bit (the armor DR is the biggest one I recall), but D&D got more, and I think its for the reason people have already mentioned - you need to play a game enough for you to become aware of what you believe its limitations to be.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've houseruled every game system I've ever run.

 

[ValhallaGH]

I've houseruled every game system I've ever run.

Quoted for truth.

 

[Crothian]

I've seen people house rule Serenity, Paranoia (don't ask), d6 Star Wars, Adventure, Changeling (I'm doing that right now iykwimaityd), and many others. You just don't hear about it because not a lot of people ar eplaying them around these parts.